Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
Seven runs on Saturday, seven more on Sunday, 15 runs Monday, three on Tuesday, and seven today. The Mets offense is finally where it wants to be.
New York has had a paltry offensive showing this season after exuberant preseason expectations. Averaging under four runs per game, the Mets rank in the bottom percentile of offenses this season. But the Mets have sparked since returning from the All-Star break.
“Yes, we’ve talked about this offense and how it’s going to click and for us, it’s clicking right now,” manager Luis Rojas said.
The Mets took full advantage of Great American “Smallpark” on Wednesday. Three Mets sent balls over the fence, Jonathan Villar, Dominic Smith, and Luis Guillorme. The balls had expected batting averages of .190, .110, and .250, respectively.
Could the offensive output be because of the park? Certainly. The Mets have hit half as many homers at home this season as on the road. Citi Field’s combination of size, a humidor, and MLB’s de-juiced baseballs have sapped the long ball from New York’s offense. Pete Alonso has hit 19 home runs, only three of which came at home.
Still, the Mets had to get runners on base to build their lead today.
Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, and Pete Alonso singled consecutively to load the bases for Smith. Guillorme’s two-run shot came after Tomas Nido doubled with one out in the fifth.
“There’s going to be guys that go 0-for-whatever,” Rojas said. “[Michael] Conforto went 0-for-5 today. That’s the same guy that hit two home runs two days ago. Guys are gonna rotate contributing for this offense.”
The Mets hitters have been trending positively the last few weeks. Rojas attributed it to work with the hitting coaches and preparing batters for that day.
The Mets lineup has surged since the return of Brandon Nimmo in the leadoff spot. The team has used 54 total players this season but is back to a near-identical opening day lineup. The only spot currently filled by the bench is shortstop. Francisco Lindor injured himself the first game back from the break after playing every game in the first half.
As players go down, others have stepped up. The Mets have more than welcomed the contributions of Villar, Guillorme, and Kevin Pillar. Guillorme’s home run marked his first since 2019.
Guillorme earned the Mets championship belt with his performance. A tradition started earlier this year. It’s awarded to the players by the players.
“This guy comes in every day and works his tail off,” Smith said of Guillorme. “He puts in so much work behind the scenes that the fans don’t get to see but he’s a big part of this team and every time he gets an opportunity he’s prepared.”
“We just wanted to pick him up because he picks us up throughout the course of the season,” Smith said.
If the Mets have turned things around offensively the true test begins on Friday. New York plays 11 consecutive games at home against Toronto, Atlanta, and Cincinnati again.
It’s the longest homestand they have this year.
To this point, the Mets have played 42 games at Citi Field and 50 on the road. Their slugging percentage is 40 points lower. They’re scoring half a run less per game in the park. The team’s BABIP is .285 at home and .287 on the road indicating park factors affecting the overall numbers.
Even with this, the Mets find themselves 28-14 there this season.
“We love playing at home,” Guillorme said. “It’s going to help us be even better than we’ve been these past few games.”
A trade deadline is on the horizon and the next 11 days could make or break the current continuity of the Mets offense. If the bats revert once at Citi Field, additions could be hopping on flights straight to Queens.
